Become an Examiner

What is an Examiner?

You might say the TNCPE Board of Examiners is the engine that drives our organization. This group of quality-driven professionals collaborates to assess the businesses and organizations that apply to the TNCPE Award Program each year. They’re also tasked with developing the valuable feedback reports that applicant organizations use to streamline their processes, empower their workforces, and achieve the results they want.

Examiners come from all industry sectors across the state of Tennessee. They will tell you they applied for the board because they were looking for an unparalleled professional challenge that would expand their knowledge base, enhance their personal effectiveness, and sharpen their competitive edge. In addition, they like the idea that they play a key role in making Tennessee a better place to live and work.

But don't just take our word for it! Check out TNCPE's YouTube Channel to hear what other examiners are saying about their experience serving on the board.

Examiner Benefits

All examiners take part in annual training to learn how to assess the companies that apply to the TNCPE award program. They learn how to use the Baldrige Excellence Framework (which includes the Criteria for Performance Excellence), score applicant organizations, conduct the examination process, and prepare value-added feedback. Other benefits include:

Employer Benefits

Businesses and organizations also benefit when they have a TNCPE examiner on staff. Examiner training empowers employees to apply the Criteria at their own jobs, improving processes and results along the way. In addition, employers enjoy:

Economic growth, as the organization applies the examiners’ knowledge and experiences,

We hope you consider applying! New examiners (those who have not served on the TNCPE Board of Examiners in two or more years) must also provide a recommendation.

For a deep dive into the examiner experience, please read through the Examiner General Information packet. It offers insight for prospective examiners, including details about the examiner timeline, our expectations, our code of ethics, and procedures.

For questions about applying to the TNCPE Board of examiners, please call (800) 453-6474.

2018 Training Schedule

Orientation

Nashville - May 8

Memphis - May 10

Greensboro, NC - May 10

Tri Cities - May 15

Oak Ridge - May 17

Nashville II - May 22

Training Course

Nashville - June 5-7

Oak Ridge - June 12-14

Greensboro, NC - June 12-14

Memphis - June 19-21

Tri Cities - June 26-28

Nashville II - July 10-12

​Examiner Training Fees

The following is the fee structure for 2017 Examiner Training:

First year examiner - $400

Second year examiner - $200

Third year examiner and above - No charge

After an examiner has completed two full years on the Board of Examiners, he or she will not be charged for the examiner training course. Returning examiners must complete all three days of training unless they have earned the Master Examiner designation.

Master Examiners

TNCPE examiners who have distinguished themselves over multiple years of service may earn the designation of master examiner. Master examiners are only required to attend Day 3 of examiner training, although they are welcome to attend the entire three-day course. Master examiners are not required to complete pre-work, but they must read the case study organizational profile.

High-performing experienced examiners are invited to serve as master examiners at the discretion of the TNCPE president. At a minimum, master examiners will have completed three years of service on the Board of Examiners, demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the Baldrige Framework, and served as either a team leader or scorebook editor. After accepting the master designation, examiners will serve in leadership roles on future TNCPE teams. Master examiners must complete the entire three-day examiner training course once every three years in order to stay current with changes in the Baldrige Framework and TNCPE processes.

TNCPE Examiner/Award Cycle

April: Board of Examiner applications due

May: New examiner orientation

June –July: Examiner training. Examiners attend one three-day training class. Classes are held during the summer months throughout the state of Tennessee, with one session in North Carolina. In addition to the three-day class, new examiners also must attend a one-day orientation seminar.

August – September: Examiners are placed on teams and conduct their independent award application reviews.

September – October: Most examiners participate in a team consensus meeting, conduct a site visit, complete the scoring process, and write the final report.

December – May: TNCPE accepts Level 1 applications year-round, so some examiners could be placed on a team in the winter or early spring. While Level 1 applications are not as time consuming to assess, these teams will conduct an independent review, consensus meeting, site visit, and write a final report.